(9/10) 
'Spring Menu' the tables announce, and that's a good start. How many restaurants actually pay attention to the time of year when picking dishes to offer. So plenty of asparagus on offer tonight, plus 'parrot fish'. Wow.
No asparagus for us though, nor the Calf Sweetmeats or Foie Gras with Medjool Dates. But the Rabbit Terrine is spectacular. Served between discs of crisp parmesan it does look a little like a Wagon Wheel but the recipe is a winner.
Main courses were brilliantly presented, if a touch miserly. Beautiful tenderloin of pork rested precariously on a bed of sweet potato, and porcini and sun-dried tomato with the gnocchi were tremendous.
OK, time for the complaints. The gnocchi were half the temperature they should have been, and patience was wearing a little thin waiting for action from the kitchen. The toilet's quite something too - opens right into the heart of the restaurant. Check your flies before opening the door, boys.
But this is a good place. Staff are fantastic - waiter had to be begged not to hang himself after forgetting a knife - and there's lots of beautiful artwork to look at while you're waiting for your food (and there needs to be).
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In my opinion - and several of my mates - this is the best restaurant in Cardiff. And that includes Gallois. If you want fast food go somewhere else. The Patagonia is a place for people who like to take there time and make an evening of it.Take that approach and you'll have a fantastic night out.
I love Patagonia. It's got by far the nicest atmosphere of any restaurant in Cardiff. As a pure cosy dining experience, it can't be beaten, perhaps not even in the whole of South Wales.
But beware: I also love meat. The girlf and I have been there twice - both times, she as a non-red meat eater has had somewhat disappointing meals (actually, check that: the first time, she had a really tasteless plate of butternut squash ravioli - much worse than disappointing). I on the other hand have had two of the finest steaks I've ever eaten. And the wine list is terrific value: around £12 for a decent Malbec.
The supplement for the steak - now an eye-watering £6 - is beginning to take the piss, though. So it's with a heavy heart that I personally would downgrade it a notch to an 8. Drop the supplement back down to £4, folks, please...and a bit more effort on chicken and fish and you'll be back in all our good books. Por favor.